Kayaba Akihiko
Kayaba Akihiko (茅場晶彦, Kayaba Akihiko), also known as Heathcliff (ヒースクリフ, Hīsukurifu), is the creator of Sword Art Online and in-game the Commander of the strongest Guild, Knights of the Blood Oath. He serves as the main antagonist of the Aincrad Arc of Sword Art Online Abridged. Personality In SAO Abridged he is initially made to seem threatening and ingenious, but later turns out to be pretty much just a normal person. Kayaba has a bad temper, killing a player on a moments notice when they insulted him. Kayaba, like Kirito, also has some contempt for humanity after witnessing the players fail in the most avoidable ways and thinks it's enough stupidity to justify humanity's extermination. However, Kayaba is also very dedicated, as shown by his work on SAO, and does actually care for others. Kayaba is also a huge movie nerd, knowing even more movie references than Kirito. Equipment Weapons *'Divine Blade': As Heathcliff, Kayaba gave himself a sword that did an insane amount of damage, so he's always have the upper hand in battle. *'Shield': As Heathcliff, Kayaba gave himself a shield that had an impossibly high defence level, so hard that it could shatter a sword made out of a rare material. Clothing *'Formal Wear': Heathcliff had a formal outfit, which he wore during council meetings. *'Armor': When in battle, Heathcliff wore an impressive looking suit of armor show that he was the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Skills & Abilities IRL *'Intelligence': Kayaba had a high enough intellect to be able to invent the NerveGear, a device that could read brain commands, and design a relatively impressive game like SAO. Sword Art Online *'Sword Skill': Kayaba showed that he was a master at the combat system he created, although that may not be as impressive as it first sounds. Differences from the Original In the original series Kayaba is a calm soft-spoken man, but at the heart a psychopath with no regard for human life, including his own. He developed Sword Art Online so he could become a God of his own world. In SAO Abridged Kayaba is a lot more humane than his original counterpart, and his motives are made a lot clearer, being far more emotional. The abridged Kayaba is also presented as somewhat of an idiot (though compared to others in the series he seems like a genius), and less like a mastermind who controls everything. He acts as symbolic representation of what Kirito could end up as if he doesn't change his ways. Quotes * (To all of the players): "Ladies and gentlemen. I am Kayaba Akihiko, head programmer. Welcome to the unparalleled online experience that is Sword Art Onli-" * (To all of the players): "How many of you have seen Tron?" (followed by total silence) "W-What? Seriously?! None of you have seen Tron?! Sh*t, I was really banking that. Okay, okay. No problem. I can wing this." * (To all the players): "Much like the World of Warcraft, none of you are here by choice anymore. Unlike WoW, however, you are being held here by me, not by your need to escape your empty f*cking lives." * (After changing the players' avatars into their real world counterparts): "As you can see, I have peeled away your petty facades and revealed you for what you truly are... fairly attractive twenty-somethings, apparently. Good for you. Kinda undermines the whole "cold light of day" thing I had planned, but still. Way to break down stereotypes." * (As Heathcliff, to Kirito and Fluffles): ""Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"" (Laughs, but stops when he realizes that no one else is laughing.) "Really? No one? I'm the only one...?" * (As Heathcliff, to Kirito coming to the negotiations): "*Laughs* No! God no! I need to hide you under the biggest rock I can find! * (As Heathcliff, explaining his worries): "Hmm, how do I put this delicately?" (Heathcliff tuts.) "Ah. I'm afraid you'll piss someone off and kill thousands." * (As Heathcliff, complaining about the players): "Christ, it's like herding cats with you people." * (As Kayaba, one a person attacking him, after seeing how useless it is): "Y-You see? This right here is just a perfect little microcosm of the last two years. This fucking mastermind here, not two minutes ago, saw you try the exact same thing to no effect. Yet, by some Herculean leap in logic that we mere mortals can never hope to comprehend, he figured it'd totally work out if he did it. Now, I trust that the rest of you good people have enough pattern recognition not to follow in this man's footsteps. Oh wait, n-no, that's goldfish! I'm thinking of goldfish. Nyeh, better play it safe." * (As Kayaba, to all of the players after paralyzing them): "Alright, now that I have your ears as well as your spines, allow me to indulge myself but for a moment and tell you all what every content creator has always wanted to say to their audience." (Clears throat) "FUCK... ALL... Y'ALL!!!" * (After being asked what his plans were) "You know, it's funny. I don't even remember anymore." * (After being asked if he was serious) "*Laughs* Oh my god, no! Could you imagine? Two years and that's what I give you? Man, that'd be unsatisfying. *Sighs* Uh, but no, I did this because of Metacritic." Voice Actor * In the Japanese dub Kayaba is voiced by Yamadeira Koichi while his Heathcliff avatar is voiced by Ohkawa Toru. * In the English dub he is voiced by Marc Diraison while his Heathcliff avatar is voiced by Kevin M Connolly. * In the abridged series he is voiced solely by Takahata101. Appearances Trivia * Kayaba is a giant movie nerd, referencing multiple movies, including Tron, Scanners and many others. * In the abridged version, players have said Kayaba's surname as his first name instead of the other way around like in the English dub. References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Villains Category:Main Villains Category:SAO Players Category:Main Characters